Ultrasound is a commonly used, non-invasive technique for imaging internal body tissues of subjects. To produce an image, high frequency acoustic signals are transmitted into the body and corresponding echo signals are received and analyzed. The echo signals are analyzed for such factors as amplitude, delay, Doppler shift etc. The analyzed signals are then used to produce images of the tissue under examination.
Despite advances in the signal processing power of electronics and integrated circuit miniaturization, portable ultrasound systems generally lack the signal processing capabilities of cart-based systems. One reason for this is heat generation. The electronics that drive the ultrasonic transducers and analyze the received echo signals generate significant amounts of heat. While heat generation is easily handed in larger systems that can include fans and/or liquid cooling systems, these cooling systems are generally too bulky to fit in more portable systems or are not compatible with cleaning regimens. Therefore, most portable systems are either simpler systems that don't produce as much heat or systems that divide the signal processing functions among several components so that no one component exceeds safety guidelines for heat generation when used. Dividing the signal processing functions among different components can lessen the amount of heat that each component generates. However, the wires or other mechanisms for transmitting signals between the components to do the signal processing can be a significant source of noise or other parasitic effects.
Given these problems, there is a need for a mechanism that allows greater amounts of signal processing to be performed in a portable ultrasound imaging system and can dissipate greater amounts of heat.